


A moment of doubt

by midorimortem



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, F/M, Fantasizing, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27626141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midorimortem/pseuds/midorimortem
Summary: Shino sees Hinata getting ready for her wedding day and, for a brief moment, he hesitates if he should keep quiet about all the feelings he had sworn to never tell her.
Relationships: Aburame Shino/Hyuuga Hinata
Kudos: 15





	A moment of doubt

**Author's Note:**

> This is some sort of soft reboot for a 2-part multichapter fic I wrote 12 years ago, back when I was a young and cheesy 15 year old. If you're interested on reading it, you can check the google doc, but I don't plan on posting it here on AO3.  
> Old fic:[ First part](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TAMbDjHFTNXvaAAF5VdPm5xsXd8O4ThyHOD0Ome8148/edit?usp=sharing) [ Second Part ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ziZ-eJ-CcF2tW2uF5fIBsSaltjz_-ODm6lmBqm5nN_M/edit?usp=sharing)

For a moment, Shino hesitated. When he saw his dearest friend walk into the room, dressed in white and glowing with happiness as she waited for the ceremony to start, he doubted. Hinata was getting married.To her childhood crush, no less. But he hesitated, because for a moment he believed he could not keep quiet of everything he’d ever wanted to tell her.

He felt his breath falter for a second. Kiba was a lot more vocal in showing his excitement, but he knew Hinata noticed he was getting emotional as well. While the dog ninja fawned over her, screaming at the top of his lungs that she looked gorgeous in her wedding kimono, Hinata and Shino exchanged looks for a brief moment. A sweet smile ran through her face and she offered a hand for him to take, to accompany her towards the shrine where they would meet the groom’s party.

She might have known it all the time; after all, they had been friends for almost a decade that he would not be even slightly impressed if Hinata told him, right there and then, that she’d had always known he was secretly in love with her. Shino had never told anyone, not even Kiba -at least not intentionally. But if there was someone in the entire village that knew how to read those feelings Shino was so bad at showing, it was the girl dressed in white standing in front of him.

But if she knew, Hinata never said a word. Not there, thirty minutes before her wedding, not some years later when her daughter was born, and not decades later, when her hair had begun to turn grey and body began to wither with age. And Shino had promised himself never to get in her way, for he knew she deserved the best. The one she deserved had saved the world as they knew it, and she deserved no less than a hero, a savior. There was nothing he could ever give her that would make her as happy as she looked that evening.

But, only for a moment, he doubted if he should be honest with her and with himself for once. Because Shino knew he’d miss her so much. Her sweet smiles, her silent gestures and her loving caresses. She took their hands and smiled even more, shedding tears of joy as Kiba kissed her cheeks and Akamaru licked her face, mimicking his trainer. Kurenai and Mirai joined them too, their former mentor began to tear up as well while her toddler admired HInata’s pearly robes and tugged on Akamaru’s ears.

“Your skin is buzzing, Shino-kun.” Hinata said, after Kiba had taken Kurenai by the shoulders and the enormous dog distracted the young girl. “Your kikaichu are acting up. Are you feeling sick?”

“It 's nothing.” He said, trying to keep calm. His insects usually did that whenever he got nervous or angry, or whenever he was about to catch a cold. It was more than obvious that Hinata would have noticed if something was off with them. “I’m just… I’m very happy for you. You look beautiful.”

Hinata blushed and giggled, tilting her head to the side as she inspected her friend closely.

“That’s the first time you’ve ever told me a compliment, Shino-kun.” He looked a bit flabbergasted and stared at her for a few seconds without knowing what to say. “Thank you.”

“I think we better get going, you don’t want to be late to your own wedding ceremony.”  
“You’re right. Shino-kun…”

“Hinata…” He let her name trail off in the air, wishing to tell her so much more than she could even imagine. She seemed to be eager to hear it too, perhaps out of a sudden anxiety attack. Shino could tell she was nervous, but he knew he had to be the better man and keep silent. 

“Today’s a beautiful day, isn’t it, Shino-kun?” She finally said, deciding not to dwell in the matter any longer. She loved Naruto and he loved her back. It was all that mattered. 

“Yes, yes it is.”

He offered her an arm and she gladly took it. A few seconds later, Kiba grabbed her other arm and together, the trio exited the saloon into the Hyuuga household gardens, where the rest of the bride’s party waited for her to be ready. Hinata’s parents embraced her and Hanabi, her little sister, placed a silver comb on the back of her head, fixing a few stray hairs into place. Kurenai and Mirai joined them, and together, they all marched towards the shrine atop of the Hokage monument.

And at that very moment, when Shino saw her take her father’s hand, he knew his unrequited love was a lost cause. He might have had his doubts, but his feelings for her would always remain a secret. He swore he could see Kiba giving him a pitiful look, but he decided to ignore him and walked behind his friend.

But as they made their way and the Hokage monument made itself visible, Shino felt those terrible feelings swelling up behind his eyes and knotting up on the back of his throat. He remembered the first time he saw her, small and scared, and the day they got notice of being placed together on the same team. He remembered his stupid childish fights with Kiba and Akamaru, and Hinata trying to calm things between them. He remembered the chunin exams and he remembered their missions, the many times their lives had been endangered and how much they trusted each other. He remembered their training, their camp outs, their free days, everything they had lived together up until now and Shino couldn’t hold it anymore.

Then he began to imagine, and everything turned out for the worst. He decided to step behind from the party and sat at an abandoned park bench that happened to be around. He imagined watching her walking towards him, dressed in white. He imagined her lips against his, her smiles and her fingers caressing his skin. Shino imagined everything that could have happened, if he hadn't kept his feelings clam-shut. He could see them making dinner, getting their children to bed and waking them early for school the next day. He could imagine training together again, going into missions together again, coming back home, battered and tired but together, after all. 

Then… he imagined her hands holding onto his, as both their fingers wrinkled and her milky eyes began to falter day by day. He imagined his swarm, unable to reproduce as faster as it did many decades ago, always following her around because her warmth and her smell had always made them happy. But… Shino knew it was all a dream. Hinata was gone forever now, and he could only nod and accept she was with someone else.

“Shinomaru?” Mirai asked. She popped her head from behind a tree, quite ashamed to be peeping up on him.

“Mirai, what happened? Where’s your mother?”

“Mamma said you were here. I want flowers!”

“You want flowers? For the wedding?”

“For Hina-chan!”

“Yes… for Hina-chan. Come, let me help you.”


End file.
